Road guard



Feb. 24, 1931. v, P 1,793,676

ROAD GUARD Original Filed Oct. 13, 1928 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 24, 1931. E. v. CAMP 1,793,676

' I ROAD GUARD Original Filed Oct. 13, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 24, 1931 I ECE EUGENE V. CAMP, OF

.ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

ROAD GUARD Original application filed October 13, 1928, Serial no. 1930. Serial The invention relates to a novel form of road guard of the general type shown and described in my copending application Serial No. 312,234, filed October 13, 1928, and of which application the present case is a division, the object of the invention being to provide an efiective road guard that will absorb the force of the shock of impacts of automobiles or other road vehicles, which are diverted from the roadway by accident or otherwise, and also to serve to guide or direct the vehicle back onto the roadway without serious damage or impairment to the vehicle or to the guard, to which ends the invention comprises a longitudinal series of strips or bands of sheet metal disposed along the side of the roadway on suitable supports and joined together and attached to the sup-* porting means by spring connectors comprising sections of sheet metal bent to substantially ring form, so that, when each is attached to the support with its axis sub- 1 stantially normal to the longitudinal axis of the strip or strips, it provides a pair of lateral spring wings, the proximate ends of which are slotted to form tongues, in staggered relation on the respective edges, the ends of the sheet metal strips being also slotted to form tongues which interlace with the tongues of the springsupports, means being provided for connecting the tongues of adjacent strips with the tongues on the far side of each spring connector, so that the force of impact of the vehicle against any strip will be absorbed, in part, by the inherent resiliency of the strip and in part by the spring action of the connectors, which are capable of yielding laterally and also normally with reference to the support; the particular arrangement of the aligning strips and their spring supports providing for the distribu= tion of the stresses, imposed by impact, among the series of aligning strips and their spring supports. 7

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figal is a plan view of a section of the guard. Fig. 2 is a vertical elevation thereof.

312,234. Divided and this application filed June 2, No. 459,010.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective exploded view showing the ends of two of the impact strips, the spring connector for joining the same and the mode of securing the connector to the fixed support.

Referring to the drawings, 10 indicates the usual form of fixed support consisting of posts, planted at intervals along the side of the roadway and which constitute the rigidsupports for the guard. Secured to the face of each of the posts 10 by means of a bolt 16 or equivalent fastening means is a spring member or connector 15 preferably formed of resilient sheet metal, such as sheet steel, which is bent to substantially annular or ring form to provide lateral spring arms 17 and 18, which extend forwardly from the post or other support and are provided on their proximate vertical edges with a series of slots which form spaced tongues 25 and 26, respectively, the tongues on the respective edges eing arranged in staggered relation and each tongue being provided with an eye or loop at its end, which are in vertical alignment and form the sockets by means of which the respective wings are connected to the ends of the resilient strips or bands. Associated with the loops on the ends of the tongues 25 and 26 are pins 27.

The spring connectors 15, when attached to the post or other rigid supporting means, are adapted to connect the ends ofthe impact members of the guard, which, in accordance with the present form of the invention, consist of strips, ribbons or bands of sheet metal, preferably sheet steel, cut to a length to span the spaces between the successive posts or supports, the ends 'of each strip being notched to form tongues-23 and 24, the tongues on one end being arranged in staggered relation with respect to the tongues on the opposite end and each tongue being bent to form an eye or loop, which constitutes a socket member cooperating with a corresponding socket member on the spring support, when the guard is assembled, as hereinafter explained. The loops are formed by bending the ends of the tongue rearwardly and preferably spot welding the overlapping portion of the tongues 23 will be brought into vertical alignment or registry with the loops on the ends of the tongues 26 of the spring connector andthe corresponding hinge pin 27 will be engaged with the registering loops, thereby locking the end of the strip 11 carrying the tongues 23, in hinged relation to the spring support -15. The tongues 24 on the end of the next sheet metal strip 11 in the series will interlace with the tongues 26 on the s rin support 15 and the loops on the ends 0 sai tongues 24 will be brought into registry with the loops on the ends of the tongues 25 of the sprin support 15, the loops being locked to ether by the corresponding hinge pin 27. ith this arrangement, the ends of the tongues of successive strips are pivotally connected to the ends of the tongues on the far sides of each spring connector, so that the spring arms 17 and 18 of the connector impose a longitudinal stress on the respective strips 11 and 11 and the force ofimpact ofa vehicle on either of the strips will be taken up in part by the action of the sprin arms 17 and 18 of the connectors 15 to whlch the respective ends of the impacted strip is secured. If the force of the impact is very great, the arms 17' and 18 of the two spring connectors 15, to which the strip 11-or'11' is connected, will be moved laterally until the normally separated portions of the spring connectors are brought into abutting relation and both spring-- arms of each connector 15 will move together, therebytransferring a part of the force of impact to the next strip or band in the series and thence to the next succeeding spring connector, and so on until the entire force of the impact is absorbed or dissipated. The particular construction of the spring supports enables the latter to be compressed or deformed laterally in either direction and also in a direction normal to the post or support, so that, should a vehicle strike the guard immediately in front of or adjacent to one of the spring connectors, the

force of the impact would be taken up by the compression of thespring connector in a direction normal to the face of the post or support and the stress would be transferred in -part to both of the strips attached to said connector and thence to the spring connectors of the posts or supports next in order in both directions in the series.

connectors. The tongues 23 on.

vehicle is safely directed back onto the road way. In the event that the impacting ve hicle strikes the guard substantially normal to the surface of the latter, the continuous spring action of the ,connected strips and their spring connectors will effectively absorb the shock of impact and the forward movement of the vehicle will not only be gradually arrested, but the vehicle will frequently be forced backwardly onto the road surface by the reaction ofthe guard.

An extensive application of this type of guard directed along the sides of roadways, particularl at curves, at the entrance of ridges an along the parapets or siderails of bridges, demonstrates the fact that the guard is effective in arresting the movement of even the heaviest vehicles and, in most instances, in guidin or directing the vehicle back onto the roa way and, as hereinbefore stated, without serious damage or impairment to either the vehicle or to the guard.

It will be particularly noted that the tongues on the ends of the barrier strips are in contact with the tongues on the near side of each of the spring supports, so that any relative motion between t e support and the strip will encounter a frictional'resistance set up between the contacting tongues on the strips and the support, respectively, which arresting the movement of the skidding vehicle and taking up the force of the impact. By reference to Fig. 3, it will be seen that the inner faces of tongues 23 will engage the outer faces of tongues 25 orthe loops on the ends of said tongues and, similarly, the inner faces of the tongues 24 will contact with the loops on the ends of tongues 26 and that a relativel strong frictional resistance will be set up etween these contacting members upon any relative movement between the spring support and the barrier strips secured thereto.

What I claim is:

1. A road guard, comprising a plurality of spaced supports, resilient connectors fixed to said supports, each connector including an open side ring of spring sheet metal having tongues arranged in staggered relation on the respective proximate edges and having aligning loops on their ends, sheet metal strips secured to and extending between successive longitudinal tension between connectors carried by the supports, each connector comprising an open spring ring of sheet metal hav ing spaced tongues in staggered relation on 'the adjacent vertical edges and loops on the ends of the tongues, each strip having tongues on its end adapted to interlace with the tongues on the near side of each ends adapted to align with the tongues on the far side of each connector, loops.

3. A road guard, comprising a series of strips of sheet metal in substantially longitudinal alignment, spring connectors interposed between the ends of successive strips and adapted to secure the guard to rigid supporting means along the roadway, each strip having loop ended tongues disposed in staggered relation at its respective ends, each connector having a body portion of spring metal bent to substantially annular form having loop ended tongues on' its vertical edges adapted to interlace with the tongues of successive strips with the loops on the strip tongues in alignment with the loops on the far side of the connector, and pins in the aligning loops.

4. A road guard, comprising a plurality of sheet metal strips arranged in substantially longitudinal alignment, spring elements interposed between the ends of successive strips, each element having wings extending forwardly from the body thereof, each wing having a series of tongues thereon staggered with relation to those on the opposite wing, each strip having a series of tongues on its end adapted to interlace with the tongues of the cooperating spring elements, and means for connecting the tongues of each strip to the tongues on the far side of each spring element.

5. Aguard of the class described, comprising a fixed support, a spring element fixed to said support and extending laterally thereof, a

loops of the cooperating and pins engaging the registering plurality of resilient wings carried by said element, and impact members pivotally connected to said wings.

In testimony whereof I afix my signature.

EUGENE V. CAMP.

cooperating connector, said tongues having loops on their 

